Vending apparatus



(No Model.)

J. A. WLLIAMS. VBNDING APPARATUS.

No. 426,086. Patented. Apr. 22. 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J Ol-IN A. VILLIAMS, OF BROOKLYN, NET YORK.

VENDING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,086, dated April 22, 1890.

Application filed December 4, 1889. Serial No. 332,520. (No model.)

To all whom 'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN A. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn,in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic vendingmachines; and it consists in various features of construction hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a vending-machine constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a hori- Zontal sectional view through the upper part of the case, showing the manner of locking the upper door; Figs. 3 and 4, views illustratin g the construction of the strips by means of which the labels applied to the outer face of the door are secured into position; Fig. 5, a vertical sectional view from front to rear of a portion of the machine, showing' the manner of securing the transparent plate in position; and Fig. 6, a vertical sectional view showing the manner in which the operative parts of the machine are secured in position within the casing.

A indicates a box or casing, provided on its front face with a door B, adapted to cover and prevent access to the packages C, which are placed within the channels D, formed in the box or casing A by a series of cleats or strips E, as is customary in this class of machines, and as clearly illustrated in Figs. l and 5. The packages are designed to rest upon the upper face of a block or support F, which is formed upon or secured to the upper face of a plate G, which separates the upper part of the casing A, containing the packages C, from the lower part II, in which are mounted the operating mechanisms and the boxes or receptacles I for receiving the coins deposited, the said lower part 1I of the box or casing being provided with a hinged door J, as clearly illustrated in Fig. I.

Bars K project forwardly from and in line with the cleats E and are grooved on their opposite faces, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6, in order to receive and support the operating mechanisms and to divide the chamber or lower portion II of the box or casing into separate compartments, in order that the moneys received by the different operating mechanisms may be kept separate and distinct.

In order to clamp or hold the operating mechanisms in position, I employ a thumbscrew L, which passes freely through a plate or washer M, which in turns bears upon the lower edges of the frame of the operating mechanisms, as shown in Figs. l and G, the said screw also passing into the under side of the bars K. From this construction it will be seen that if the screw be turned so as to draw the plate or washer M firmly up against the under side of two adjacent or adjoining operating mechanisms the latter will be made to bind so tightly in the grooves made in the sides of the bars K to receive them as to prevent their being withdrawn from the machine, even though the door J be opened.

It is obvious that in lieu of a screw an eccentric or equivalent device might bel employed, the eccentric being shown by dott-ed lines in Fig. 6.

Projecting from one of the bars K is a perforated stud or projection N, which, when the door is closed, is designed to pass through a slot or opening O, formed in said door, as shown in Fig. l, the length of the stud or proj ection being such that when the door is closed the perforated end will project beyond the outer face of the door,so as to permit thelapplication thereto of a padlock or equivalent locking device. (Not shown.)

In order to simplify the construction of the machine and to provide a single locking meehanism for both of the doors B and J, I adopt the construction illustrated in Figs. l and 2, in which l) indicates an upright rod seated in a recess or groove in one of the side walls of the box or casing, the said rod I being provided with one or more hooks or catches Q, which are designed to engage the eyes or perforated plates R, seated in recesses in the edge of the door B. rIhe rod or stem P extends downward into the interior of the cha-mber Il and rests upon or is connected with the inner end of a lever S, which lever is pivoted to the side of the casing A and projects forwardly beyond the face thereof, so as to permit its end to enter a socket or recess T, formed in the inner face of the door J, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

IOO

y. are in engagement with the plates R thereof, the outer or free end of the lever` S will be in such position as to enter the socket formed i-n the door J, when the latter is closed, and it will be seen that after the door J is lockedin position by any suitable means it will be impossible to release the door B, for the reason that the lever S is prevented from moving or being moved by reason of its being held by the socket T in the door J. Vhen the door J is unlocked and opened, the outer end of the lever S may be depressed and the hooks or catches Q thrown out of engagement with the perforated plates R, thereby permitting the door B to be opened. It is obvious that this arrangement might be reversed, in which case the hooks Q would engage the door J, while the lever S would be arranged in such position as to engage the door B; but as this would involve merely a reversal of the arrangement shown it is not deemed necessary to illustrate such arrangement. Vhere a solid or closed door--such as B-is used, it is necessary to provide means for inspecting the columns of packages in order to ascertain whether or not the supply is exhausted, and at the same time it is necessary to so construct and arrange this transparent plate as to prevent access to the packages.

In the construction shown in the drawings the lower edge of the door B is rabbeted to tit over the upper edge of a plate U of glass or similar transparent material, and also to fit over the upper edge of a metallic plate V, having a series of slots W, the said plates U and V extending transversely across the machine from side to side, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5.

The metallic plate V extends considerably below the lower edge of the glass plate U upper edges of the plates U and V it will be impossible to remove them.

Extending across the front face of the door B near its lower edge is plate X, Figs. 3 and 4, which is provided with a series of openings Y, which correspond in number and position to the channels D of the box or casing, the plate being designed for the purpose of holding in position the labels or strips Z, bearing the designations or names of the different ilavors used in the manufacture of the goods contained in the respective channels, or such other information as it may be necessary or desirable to give.

In order to prevent the label or strip Z from dropping'down out of position, the plate or stripX will be indented slightly, as at a, so as to form a shoulder upon the rear face of the plate to receive the label or strip, as shown in Fig. 4.

' It is obvious that the number of channels D and the number of operating mechanisms .may be varied as desired, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to any particular number of such devices, nor to any special construction of operative mechanisms. The form of operating mechanism'illustrated in the drawings is substantially the same as that illustrated in Letters Patent No. 402,374, granted to me April 30, 1889, to which patent reference is hereby made.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, provided with a channel or receptacle D for receiving the goods to be sold and with a compartment II to receive the money, of a door B, adapted to cover the channels D, a door J, adapted to close the compartment II and independent of door B, and a locking device common to both doors J and B.

2. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, provided with compartments D and H and with the doors B and J, of a rod P, provided with hooks Q to engage the door B, a lever S, connected with the rod P and adapted to engage the door J, and means for locking the door J.

3. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, provided with chambers D and I-I and with doors B and J, of a rod P, provided with hooks or catches Q to engage the door B or eyes thereon, a lever S, pivoted in the casing A to actuate the rod P, and a socket T, formed in the door J to receive the end ofthe lever S.

4. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, provided with chambers D and II and with doors B and J, of a mechanism to lock the door B, and lever S, for actuating said locking mechanism, adapted to be engaged by the door J when the latter is closed.

5. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, provided with a channel B to receive the packages C, of a transparent plate U, extending across the outer face of the channel D, a perforated plate V, applied to the outer faceof the transparent plate, and a door B, adapted to close over the upper edges of the plates U and V.

6. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, provided with a channelD to receive the packages C, of a-transparent plate U, extending across the outer face of the channel, a metallic plate V, applied IOO ITO

IIS g to the outer face of the transparent plate, and a door B, having its lower edge rabbeted, substantially as shown, to prevent the removal of the plates U and V.

7. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, provided with channels D to receive the packages C, of a transparent plate U, extending across the machine from side to side and coveringr the lower ends of the channels, a perforated metallic plate V, also extending across the machine from side to side on. the outer face of the plate U, and a door B, adapted to cover the upper paris of the channelsl) and resting upon the upper edges of the plates U and V, all substantially as shown.

8. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, provided with a channel D to receive the packages C, of a transparent plate U, extending across the front face of the channel D at its lower end, and the perforated metallic plate V, applied to the front face of the transparent plate and extending downwardly below the same t0 form a guard, substantially as and for the purpose Set forth.

9. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, provided with a series of channels D, separated from each other by cleats E, of bars K, grooved on their opposite faces, and operating mechanisms seated in said grooves, substantially as shown.

l0. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, )rovided with the grooved bars K, operatingmechanisms mounted in said grooves, and a clamping device to clamp the said operating mechanisms to the bars.

ll. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, of the grooved bars K, separated from each other, as shown, operating mechanisms mounted in said grooves, a plate M, bearing upon the lower faces of two adjoining operating mechanisms, and a clam ping device adapted to draw the plate iirmly up against the lower face of the operating mechanisms and to canse the latter to bind in their grooves.

12. In a vending-machine, the strip X, provided with openings Y and indented, as at a, to form shoulders on.its rear face to support the labels.

I3. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a box or casing A, of a series of bars K, separated from one another to form compartments, an operating mechanism for each compartment, and a relnovable box or receptacle I, one for each compartment.

In witness whereof Ihereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. VILLIAMS. lVitnesses:

HENRY RowLEv, F. A. I'IUBBARD. 

